Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

European CHMP issues positive opinion for Roche's Tarceva as maintenance therapy for NSCLC

Roche today announced that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion for use of Tarceva(R) (erlotinib) as a maintenance therapy for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and stable disease (cancer remains largely unchanged) after initial chemotherapy. The CHMP positive opinion clears the way for European Union approval and means that this group of patients may soon be able to benefit from earlier treatment with Tarceva.

19 Mar 2010

CHMP issues positive opinion recommending approval of Tarceva as monotherapy for NSCLC

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its international partner for Tarceva® (erlotinib), Roche, informed OSI that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of Tarceva as monotherapy for maintenance treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with stable disease following four cycles of standard platinum-based first-line chemotherapy.

19 Mar 2010

Hercules Technology Growth Capital commits over $52.0M in structured debt financing

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc., the leading specialty finance company providing venture debt and equity to venture capital and private equity-backed technology and life science companies at all stages of development, today announced that it has committed over $52.0 million in structured debt financing to new and existing portfolio companies.

19 Mar 2010

Abstract about Phase I/II trial of ThermoDox in RCW accepted for presentation at ASCO 2010

Celsion Corporation today announced that an abstract about the Phase I/II trial of ThermoDox® in Recurrent Chest Wall Cancer (RCW) has been accepted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 Annual Meeting.

19 Mar 2010

QUANTEC review: Updated recommendations for safe irradiation of 16 organs

The Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (QUANTEC) review has been published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to update recommendations for the safe irradiation of 16 organs. For each organ, the relationship between dose/volume and clinical outcome is reviewed. These reviews replace initial recommendations published in 1991.

19 Mar 2010

USPTO reissues composition of matter patent for Poniard Pharmaceuticals' picoplatin

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative oncology therapies, today announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has granted and will reissue the composition of matter patent for picoplatin as RE41209, replacing USPN 5,665,771 ('771 patent), on April 6, 2010. The reissue was applied for May 8, 2009, and, on March 17, 2010, the USPTO released the "Issue Notification" for the reissue application.

19 Mar 2010

Astellas Pharma's proposed acquisition of OSI Pharmaceuticals: HSR waiting period expires

Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, applicable to Astellas' proposed acquisition of OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. has expired.

19 Mar 2010

ASCO Scientific Program 2010: Provectus Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2 data on PV-10 accepted for presentation

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, announced today that data from its Phase 2 study of PV-10 for metastatic melanoma has been accepted for presentation at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scientific Program to be held on June 4 – 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Mar 2010

Novelos Therapeutics Phase 3 trial of NOV-002 in advanced NSCLC fails to meet primary and secondary endpoints

Novelos Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapeutics to treat cancer and hepatitis, today announced that primary and secondary endpoints were not met in Novelos’ pivotal Phase 3 trial in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with its lead product, NOV-002, in combination with first-line chemotherapy.

18 Mar 2010

ZIOPHARM Oncology reports fourth quarter net income of $1.0M against loss last year

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is seeking to develop and commercialize a diverse, risk sensitive portfolio of in-licensed cancer drugs addressing unmet medical needs, announced today its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2009, and the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

18 Mar 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a for regulating immune response

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed claims in U.S. Application Serial No. 11/977,506 covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a to regulate immune response. This patent is owned by Stanford University and licensed exclusively to Regulus. miR-181a has been shown to regulate the response of immune cells, such as T lymphocytes, to specific stimuli and modulation of miR-181a could lead to a novel treatment of inflammatory disease.

18 Mar 2010

MR-guided ablation therapy may hold promise for treatment of prostate cancer recurrences

The first known patient cases using magnetic resonance-guided heat (laser interstitial thermal therapy) or cold (cryoablation) to treat prostate cancer recurrence after surgical removal of the prostate gland were presented by physicians at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa. Many of these patients have also failed salvage radiation treatment and are often presented with limited therapeutic options. MR-guided focal therapy offers a new treatment choice for patients because of the improved detection of early prostate cancer recurrences best seen with MR imaging.

18 Mar 2010

Varian Medical Systems to showcase radiotherapy and radiosurgery solutions at medical events in Asia

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy and radiosurgery, will showcase its technology at two medical events in Asia during the month of March:

18 Mar 2010

Palliative care continues to play vital role in the continuum of cancer care: Study

A study from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports that cancer centers in the United States provide patients and their families with palliative care, though the depth, range and integration of programs and services widely vary.

18 Mar 2010

Combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin limits the progression of endometrial cancer: Study

Researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that in a small study of women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, gemcitabine and cisplatin, when used in combination, produced a response rate in fifty percent of patients.

18 Mar 2010

Prometheus Laboratories, Bayer Schering Pharma form research collaboration and license agreement

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, today announced the execution of a research collaboration and license agreement with Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company. The collaboration partners Prometheus' proprietary oncology diagnostic platform with Bayer's broad oncology pipeline in an effort to stratify patients to appropriate drug candidates and potentially accelerate the development of novel oncology therapeutic products.

18 Mar 2010

Bone marrow stem cells offer potential treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease

Bone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg-providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

18 Mar 2010

Standardized skin-care guidelines

Given the complexity of cancer treatment, skin care may seem like a small matter. However, a nurse at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center knew that skin issues were a constant source of anxiety for many patients receiving radiation therapy, and through research she discovered that routine advice was rooted in myth instead of scientific evidence.

18 Mar 2010

SBRT can improve survival rates for patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

Highly-focused stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can eliminate the targeted tumor while avoiding treatment-related illness and may ultimately improve survival for patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer, according to early findings of a Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study published in the March 17 cancer-themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Mar 2010

Jordan Physician Associates implements MedAptus Inpatient Edition for charge capture automation

MedAptus(R), the market leader for charge capture technologies, today announced that providers across multiple specialties at Jordan Physician Associates, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, are using the MedAptus Inpatient Edition to capture and submit professional charges while on service at Jordan Hospital.

18 Mar 2010

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

European CHMP issues positive opinion for Roche's Tarceva as maintenance therapy for NSCLC

CHMP issues positive opinion recommending approval of Tarceva as monotherapy for NSCLC

Hercules Technology Growth Capital commits over $52.0M in structured debt financing

Abstract about Phase I/II trial of ThermoDox in RCW accepted for presentation at ASCO 2010

QUANTEC review: Updated recommendations for safe irradiation of 16 organs

USPTO reissues composition of matter patent for Poniard Pharmaceuticals' picoplatin

Astellas Pharma's proposed acquisition of OSI Pharmaceuticals: HSR waiting period expires

ASCO Scientific Program 2010: Provectus Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2 data on PV-10 accepted for presentation

Novelos Therapeutics Phase 3 trial of NOV-002 in advanced NSCLC fails to meet primary and secondary endpoints

ZIOPHARM Oncology reports fourth quarter net income of $1.0M against loss last year

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a for regulating immune response

MR-guided ablation therapy may hold promise for treatment of prostate cancer recurrences

Varian Medical Systems to showcase radiotherapy and radiosurgery solutions at medical events in Asia

Palliative care continues to play vital role in the continuum of cancer care: Study

Combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin limits the progression of endometrial cancer: Study

Prometheus Laboratories, Bayer Schering Pharma form research collaboration and license agreement

Bone marrow stem cells offer potential treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease

Standardized skin-care guidelines

SBRT can improve survival rates for patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

Jordan Physician Associates implements MedAptus Inpatient Edition for charge capture automation

Cancer Research eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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